I like both shows but Man vs. Wild is clearly the better of the two. Bear Grylls may not carry is own cameras but that is the strength of his show. It is more realistic to simply survive and let a camera crew worry about the logistics of filming it. Moreover, Bear is amazing in the physical feats that he does on the show. If you have ever seen his shows in the Pacific or in the Everglades, you would see that Bear is much more physical than Les' equivalent shows.

In carrying his own cameras, Les Stroud does not present a realistic approach because he also has to worry about setting up the shots and thus, does not do things that a normal person would do in a survival situation. In an episode in the desert, he admitted that he would not have hiked 5 miles to shelter twice had it not been for lugging his equipment. A real survivalist would have ditched the dead weight. In the Everglades, he had to leave his porly constructed raft and wade ahead to place cameras so the viewers can see images of him rafting toward the camera. I do, however, respect and appreciate the fact that Les is all alone.

In the example of cast away survival, Les was deployed from a boat in an inflatable life raft with many supplies. He drifted with the current until he came to a very small island containing coconuts and cockroaches. He had a boat waiting a few miles out and just waited until his seven day limit was done.

Bear, on the other hand, was dropped by helicopter in the ocean and swam two miles to an island with nothing but a pocket knife. He swam around the island until the tide allowed him to get closer. The location where he went ashore was a barrier of sheer cliffs which he climbed. He then made his way to the other side of the island through jungles to a beach where he made camp. He spent several days setting up a camp in which he could survive for weeks if needed. Not wanting to wait for a ship, he built a very nice boat from bamboo. He also wove a sail with palm fronds. He then supplied the craft the best he could and braved the open ocean until he was found by a boat.

The other thing that I like better about Bear is that he goes out of his way to demonstrate how to survive. For example, he purposefully jumps into quicksand or breaks through an icy lake to show the viewer how to get out of these situations. Bear has immense knowledge and is more informative to his viewers. Les, in contrast, takes a lethargic approach to surviving. Once he finds a location that is survivable, he stays put and waits for his crew (no more than seven days). Bear's mission is not over until he guides himself (and his camera crew) to safety.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion but Bear Grylls deserves more credit than you have all given him...

I like both shows but Man vs. Wild is clearly the better of the two. Bear Grylls may not carry is own cameras but that is the strength of his show. It is more realistic to simply survive and let a camera crew worry about the logistics of filming it. Moreover, Bear is amazing in the physical feats that he does on the show. If you have ever seen his shows in the Pacific or in the Everglades, you would see that Bear is much more physical than Les' equivalent shows.

In carrying his own cameras, Les Stroud does not present a realistic approach because he also has to worry about setting up the shots and thus, does not do things that a normal person would do in a survival situation. In an episode in the desert, he admitted that he would not have hiked 5 miles to shelter twice had it not been for lugging his equipment. A real survivalist would have ditched the dead weight. In the Everglades, he had to leave his porly constructed raft and wade ahead to place cameras so the viewers can see images of him rafting toward the camera. I do, however, respect and appreciate the fact that Les is all alone.

In the example of cast away survival, Les was deployed from a boat in an inflatable life raft with many supplies. He drifted with the current until he came to a very small island containing coconuts and cockroaches. He had a boat waiting a few miles out and just waited until his seven day limit was done.

Bear, on the other hand, was dropped by helicopter in the ocean and swam two miles to an island with nothing but a pocket knife. He swam around the island until the tide allowed him to get closer. The location where he went ashore was a barrier of sheer cliffs which he climbed. He then made his way to the other side of the island through jungles to a beach where he made camp. He spent several days setting up a camp in which he could survive for weeks if needed. Not wanting to wait for a ship, he built a very nice boat from bamboo. He also wove a sail with palm fronds. He then supplied the craft the best he could and braved the open ocean until he was found by a boat.

The other thing that I like better about Bear is that he goes out of his way to demonstrate how to survive. For example, he purposefully jumps into quicksand or breaks through an icy lake to show the viewer how to get out of these situations. Bear has immense knowledge and is more informative to his viewers. Les, in contrast, takes a lethargic approach to surviving. Once he finds a location that is survivable, he stays put and waits for his crew (no more than seven days). Bear's mission is not over until he guides himself (and his camera crew) to safety.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion but Bear Grylls deserves more credit than you have all given him...

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damn.. you made a long first post, then never came back to make more. Sounds odd. Bumping this to show it's already been made...

They both offer a different perspective, I almost have more respect for survivor man though because he has to do all of the filming himself. He gets no help and no "buddy" to tag along, making the trip different than such an experience on man vs wild; Especially considering he doesn't have the same training as bear. However, the experiences shown in man vs wild are unique in that they show the beauty of it all, along with the things needed to survive.

Either way, they both offer their own perspective and are both entertaining as long as they aren't re-runs i've seen 6 times. :/

I can't help but just be jealous of bear most of the time, just because of what he gets to do and his training, something not many of us will ever get.